Get Into Golf

Are you looking for a new summer challenge? Do you fancy getting fit and healthy without it feeling a chore? Perhaps you are keen to meet new people or simply spend more quality time with your partner. If this sounds familiar, golf could be for you. Chrissie Owens, Campaign Manager for Get into Golf shares seven great reasons why you should give it a go.

Golf offers all these benefits and more! It’s a game that it suits everyone regardless of age, fitness or ability so whether you want to keep healthy, burn calories or spend time with friends, golf is for you!

It’s great to play golf because, according to Campaign Manager of Get into Golf, Chrissie Owens:

1. It’s a game for all
The unique handicap system means everybody can play together, either socially or competitively. It is also flexible – you can play a full 18-holes or just nine, giving you all the game in half the time.

2. It keeps you active
You will use more energy than you might think: playing 18-holes you will burn at least 900 calories, you will walk four to five miles and you will achieve the recommend 150 minutes of exercise a week. Golf also offers all the known weight-loss benefits of walking combined with the toning and muscle strengthening that keeps your waistline in check and weight under control as you criss-cross the courses.

3. It offers great networking opportunities
With plenty of time for conversation, golf is a great way to meet new people and to spend quality time with friends or family. Friendships flourish thanks to the ready-made social life at the clubhouses.

4. It offers you the chance to learn something new
Learning something new can help you gain a sense of achievement, purpose and confidence. Setting targets and achieving them creates a feeling of accomplishment and golf allows you to do this.

5. It reduces stress levels
Outdoor exercise can help reduce stress levels and enhance mood. Moderate exercise and swinging your clubs will get your blood pumping, triggering the release of natural mood-enhancing chemicals.

6. It can help to improve your work-life balance
Juggling work and home life can be tough. Golf offers you ‘me time’ and is an antidote for workers who spend long sedentary hours sitting at a desk. Getting out in the fresh air can do you the world of good.

7. It can help you live longer and encourage a healthier life
Golf’s combination of outdoor exercise and social interaction can help you live longer; a study from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden noted playing golf can increase your life expectancy
by up to five years.

Get into Golf (run by England Golf and supported by Sport England National Lottery Funding) is offering low-cost beginner courses across the country to widen participation in the sport.

Starting from four weeks for £20 with equipment provided, all you need to do if you are interested is book and turn up on the day in comfortable clothing. All sessions are taken by
a PGA professional.

For more information call 0800 118 2766. email info@getintogolf.org or visit getintogolf.org,